Several years ago I was invited to hang out on the Blanchard's dock. When I arrived, the first person I met was Lauren and she gave me the biggest hug I’ve ever received from a stranger. It was the kind of hug that said, "we’re going to be super friends and laugh a lot!" And we always do... A few minutes later I met Randy and thought, "when Lauren's husband gets here, he is going to make this guy leave,” but that is a different story... What I’m getting at, is that for months I had no idea that that she had a type of cancer that is so far over my head I still struggle to understand it.
My support started with awareness. I soon learned that she had started gotCUREage; a non-profit aimed at raising awareness and support for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and cancer research. Shortly after learning this I was asked to join her team and participate in my first Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Light the Night walk. This event was a blast! I learned so much and saw so many people come together for a great cause and so many people who were experiencing so much pain smiling, and laughing. It was the most inspirational moment in my life. The strength that people have when they are totally depleted is amazing.
The courage I saw in the people who were fighting cancer or those who had lost someone to cancer and their ability to continue forward motivated me in so many aspects in my own life. I realized at that first walk something that I forgot long ago… and that was to never quit and never stop fighting… From that moment I realized how important these events are to those who have been affected by cancer… so gradually, I’ve upped my game and support for gotCUREage, Lauren, and survivors of cancer or any problem for that matter…
Lauren has hosted many events from parties and fundraisers to 5k mustache races and I have tried to participate wherever and however I can. My participation started out minimal and my basic goal has been to at least improve upon my effort every chance I get. I’m now working on fundraising for our upcoming walk next month.
In the past I auctioned off one of my custom flags and it did really well. I believe that raffling one of my hand-made flags would be a great way for me to raise some funds for this cause… so that’s what I’m doing. Today I’m launching my first raffle in support of my Teams effort to raise money for cancer research and LLS.
Thank you all…
Michael Cole
